SvR 2009 brings a breath of fresh air, but still the "same" effect as with some of the predecessors is there.
Whilst I've yet to fully go through all the modes of the game, I can still discuss some of the features I have had the chance to play. Firstly, the "Road to Wrestlemania".
This is the breath of fresh air I was on about. After some mediocre storylines in recent years, it's finally good to see some unique storylines for individual characters. Yes, there are only 6 storylines and yes, it doesn't take long to complete them all either and almost everything is unlocked by this mode, but this mode re-freshes the series for me - normally I would only play as The Undertaker or a CAW of myself, but this mode makes you play some of the other characters - and I must say I thoroughly enjoyed it, playing as CM Punk or Chris Jericho.
They've tried to capture the feel of the TV shows too - just the odd little bits that make this mode feel better than the past career modes we've had - such as the "proper" (so to speak) re-caps of past weeks action and the "all rights reserved" ending. Plus, it's better to hear the commentators say "CM Punk went extreme on Elijah Burke last week!" rather than "he was extreme on Elijah Burke!" "Yeah, and Elijah will be looking for revenge on that superstar tonight!".
The commentary too in matches - at long last I now know when I have lengthy fights, they're not going to repeat the same things over and over again. I don't know about you but I got sick of hearing how "Edge screwed over the fans" on more than one occasion in a match which, on some occasions, never even involved him! It focuses more on the action in the ring - ala real life. And not just the finishers, like they did in the past, you'll even get the "what a devastating clothesline!" occasionally. That's the best bit too - they've made those kind of comments occasional, so it's not after every move you'll hear "there's a clothesline! There's a punch! There's a low blow, DQ him ref!", it is every so often, although sometimes it can get quiet if nothing spectacular happens.
Commentary also gets a boost in over-the-top-rope matches - such as over-the-top-rope and Royal Rumble. How exactly? Well let's say poor ol' Matt Hardy just got eliminated from the Royal Rumble:
SvR 2008: "The match is over for that particular superstar!"
SvR 2009: "Hardy's out! Matt Hardy has been eliminated!"
See? Just little changes they've made and it's for the better. Just like wrestlers now more realistic when entering the Rumble - whilst Rey will run down to the ring, Kane will now walk down the entrance. Also for the tiny adds, superstars being able to get into the ring via the ring steps is great - although it looks odd for Khali to run up the steps as is the only motion to do on them. One added feature they have stuck in that I'm not too keen on is the "camera angles" when outside the ring (this doesn't happen in every match, but if you don't have the game yet, when you do, make a one-on-one match and go outside the ring, you'll see what I mean). Whilst I understand it's an attempt to try and make you feel as if you're watching a match through the cameramen around the ring (if they stayed in stationary positions), it does get annoying - if I want to Irish Whip someone in a certain direction, I'll thrown them a different way from what I want to if I'm on the edge of a camera angle changing position, which gets irritating sometimes.
I've yet to play the Inferno Match, and therefore will refrain from comment until I have done so.
I have, however, had a look at the Create A Finisher mode, and whilst it is a great feature to have, it can be lacking at times. For example, I wanted to have my character use Shelton Benjamin's finisher (I think) from 2004 (again, I think). When I couldn't find what I was looking for on the proper list, I thought I'd try and make it myself. Nuh huh, I give it a go, but it just looks stupid. So instead, I give myself a different move instead, a spontaneous one off the top of my head - and it couldn't be any more unrealistic. It involves picking up my opponent into a DVD position, before dropping them gut-first onto my knee, before picking them up again in a reverse DVD, then again gut-first into the knee, DVD again to drop gut-first into the knee before one final time in the DVD position, but this time spinning them out F-5 style into an unprettier. No wonder I chose the name "Chaos Theory" for it.
Other than that, it just feels the same as all the predecessors - yes, it's because most of it works, but I still can't figure why some parts of the game haven't been fixed. For example, miracle movements still happen in the game - if Cena wants to do his Five Knuckle Shuffle, his opponent on the floor will magically move into the right place - why can't it be done in the position that the opponent is already laying down in? Let's not forget that Day of Reckoning, for the Gamecube for goodness sakes, allowed people to do the People's Elbow even if the opponent's feet were pointing directly to a turnbuckle! I mean if the player wishes to have it perfectly in position, it could be an added little challenge to position the opponent right.
My second, and probably most biggest annoyance, is entrances. Now, don't get me wrong - with a taste for good music, I love nothing better to watch these guys (and ladies) walk down to the ring with a good theme song - but seriously, the WWE had the new HD set for RAW, ECW and SD! 10 MONTHS before the game came out, and what way do 95% of the superstars come out from?
The left. The entrance way to the stage is on the right.
They added a load of tiny extras this year, so why couldn't they sort out that one little feature? (I refuse to call it an error as it isn't, it's just something that needed to be altered). Also, why does Mr. Kennedy................ Kennedy, still use his "old" yelling? He hasn't done that in about two years, his yell is more aggressive now. Speaking of which, his music on the game has the old yell! It's been the aggressive yell in real life!
(OK, now I'm just being REAL picky, I know, but I'm just sayin'... haha, my own little Hurrapop there.)
As of right now, this is about all I'm valid of making my opinion for, as I have yet to try out the rest of the game, therefore I may update this at a later date with more opinions on other parts of the game that I try out, but until then, that's me done for this review.